Refrigerating apparatus



March 29, 1938. E. HEITMAN REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Original Filed July 11, 1932 INVENTOR. dawn 413D 42/7/14 BY W e M.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 29, 1938 PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Edward Heitman, Detroit, Mich assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Nash-Kelvinator Corporation, Maryland Detroit, Micln,

a corporation of Original application July 11, 1932, Serial No. 621,895. Divided and this application January 11, 1934, Serial No. 706,114

1 Claim.

This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus.

This application is a division of my co-pending application, Serial No. 621,895, filed July 11, 1932, for Refrigerating apparatus, now matured into Patent No. 2,012,308, issued Aug. 27, 1935.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a new and improved arrangement of a refrigerating system within a cabinet.

Another object of the invention is to provide a portable refrigerating apparatus having a cabinet within which a refrigerating system is compactly arranged in a manner so as to utilize a maximum of cabinet space for the storage of foods.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following description andv by reference to the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a view shown in perspective of a refrigerating apparatus embodying features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view shown partly in cross section and partly in elevation of the refrigerating apparatus embodying features of my invention;

Fig. 3 is a view taken in the direction of line 33 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view in cross section, taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, numeral 20 designates, in general, a substantially rectangular shaped refrigerator cabinet having a refrigerating compartment 2| and a machine compartment 23. The cabinet is constructed of insulated walls including side walls 25, end walls 26, a bottom wall 21 and a removable top wall 23. The top wall 28 is provided in this instance with two substantially rectangular openings 30 and 3| leading into the compartment 2|. Movable closure members 32 and 33 are provided for closing the openings and as shown are hinged so as to swing open in opposite directions.

The machine compartment 23 preferably occupies a portion of the space at the bottom of the cabinet 20 and at one end thereof. A horizontally extending insulated wall 35 and a vertically extending insulated wall 36 are arranged within the cabinet to cooperate with one another and with the bottom, end and side walls of the cabinet to provide the machine compartment 23. As shown in Fig. 2, the horizontally disposed bottom wall '21 of the cabinet serves as the bottom wall of the machine compartment 23 and of the compartment 2|. The side and end walls of the machine compartment are formed by a removable closure member 31 in which louvered openings 33 are provided to admit air to the machine compartment. Thus, within the confines of a symmetrically shaped cabinet are provided the compartments 2| and 23 insulated from one another.

A refrigerating system is arranged within the cabinet and comprises, in general, a refrigerant condensing element 4|! disposed within the machine compartment 23 and two cool storage receptacles 42 and 43 disposed within compartment 2|. While two of such cooling elements are shown, it will be understood that the cabinet may be made larger to accommodate three or more I cooling elements if desired.

In order to utilize all of the available cabinet space for cooling purposes and to also provide a neat and compact apparatus, the storage receptacle 42 is made smaller than the receptacle 43 so that it may occupy the offset space within compartment 2| above the machine compartment 23 as shown. The receptacle 42 may be supported on the horizontal wall 35. The large receptacle 43 extends the full depth of the compartment 2| and is supported on the bottom wall 21 of the cabinet.

The refrigerant condensing element 40 comprises, in general, a motor-compressor unit preferably enclosed in a sealed casing 45, a condenser 43, and a high side float mechanism 41 arranged within the machine compartment in the same vertical plane with the cooling element 42 and supported on the bottom wall 21. The condenser is preferably air cooled and for this purpose a fan (not shown) driven by the motor-compressor unit is provided. This fan also circulates air within the machine compartment 23 to remove heat generated therewithin.

The storage receptacle 42 comprises, in general, a sleeve member 50 and an encircling, refrigerant vaporizing conduit 52. large receptacle 43 comprises, in general, a sleeve member 53 and an encircling, refrigerant evaporating conduit 54. Liquid refrigerant is supplied to the conduits 52 and 54 from the high side float mechanism 41, and the refrigerant circulates through the conduits and evaporates therein during which process heat is absorbed from within and about the sleeves 50 and 53. After circulating about the-sleeves 50 and 53, the conduits terminate in a refrigerant accumulator 5| disposed within the cabinet.

The sleeves 50 and 53 are preferably formed Likewise the aliases of sheet metal and substantially rectangular in p erature within the food compartments will be shape. Within the sleeves, ice cream, desserts, package goods and the like may be stored to be kept at low temperature. The top portions of the sleeves II and II extend part way into the rectangular openings 3' and in the top removable. wall 2. to prevent air from entering the compartment 2| when the doors 32 and 33 are opened.

In order to obtain the desired temperature within the food compartment with a minimum of work done by the motor-compressor unit and to also provide for retaining said temperature for a considerable period of time in case the motorcompressor becomes inoperative due to failure of the electric current, I provide chambers on the outer side walls of the sleeves for containing a heat retaining medium. These chambers are provided for both cooling elements, the parts and construction being similar, so that a description of one of the cooling elements is deemed sufficient. Referring to the cooling element 42, a plurality of pan-shaped members 80, preferably formed of sheet metal, is secured to the outer side walls of the sleeve ll, such as by welding. Each of these pan-shaped members is provided on its outer surface with a plurality of indented or bent portions ll. Thus, when the pan-shaped members are secured to the sleeve, they cooperate therewith to form chambers 66. The panshaped members are securely welded about the edges to the sleeves to provide the chambers 86 fluid tight.

The heat retaining medium is contained within the chambers t and may be of any suitable eutectic or cryohydrate mixture having the characteristic of retaining heat for considerable periods of time. Disposed within the indented portions and in good thermal contact with the heat retaining medium is therefrigerant conduit 52. Thus, during the process of evaporation of the refrigerant in the conduit I2, heat is obsorbed from the food compartment and from the eutectic or cryo ydrate mixture so that if the electric current fails, the sleeves and compartment II will be kept at a low temperature for a considerable period of time by the heat retaining medium. With this construction it will also be seen that the conduit 52 may be easily assembled with or disassembled from the sleeve.

Preferably the system is intermittently operated for maintaining substantially constant temperatures in the food storage chambers. Any

suitable means, such as a thermostat (not shown) responsive to changes in temperature in the food storage chambers, may be used for connecting or disconnecting the electric motor to the source of supply. n the oil-phase of the system the temmaintained for a considerable period of time by thej eutectic mixture in the chambers 66. Consequently, the food storage chambers are maintainedt the desired temperature with a minimum Bf; work done by the motor-compressor unit, resulting in an economically operated sys- In operation, gaseous refrigerant is withdrawn from the toiiof the refrigerant accumulator BI by the compressor, which compresses the gas and delivers it to the condenser to be 11 liquid refrigerant is then delivered to the high side float mechanism 41 and from here is delivered to the conduits I2 and tc be again cirl5 culated thereabout and evaporated.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that I have provided a new and improved arrangement of refrigerating units within a cabinet so as to utilize the maximum of available cabinet space for cooling elements, having-sleeves for storing food. It will also be appreciated that this has been accomplished within a neat and symmetrically shaped cabinet. Moreover, I have provided a new and improved type of cooling element in which a sleeve for storing food is provided with a plurality of chambers for a heat retaining medium,.and a refrigerant circulating conduit is arranged in good thermal contact with the heat retaining medium, increasing the emciency 'of the apparatus as a whole. By the arrangement of the conduit and the sdeeve, not only a more efllcient apparatus results, but the manufacture and assembly of the conduit and sleeve is facilitated.

Although only a preferred form of the invention has been illustrated, and that form described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet of the portable type having two compartments 45 of different sizes and in open communication, two refrigerant evaporating elements connected in parallel and being arranged adjacent each other between the compartments and about the walls of each compartment so that each cools a separate compartment, means for delivering liquid' refrigerant directly to the inlet of each evaporating element, a, refrigerant accumulator associated with the outlets only. of said evaporatwithdrawing vaporized refrigerant from the upper part of said accumulator.

EDWARD HEI'I'MAN.

7 ing elements and means for conducting and 

